Jacck

I talk about the frequencies cutoff.

I have a hard time collecting my thoughts. So far, I have nothing but praise for this box set. The sound quality is amazing, it feels like the orchestra is playing in my living room. Some random thoughts so far;
 
– I am insanely familiar with the score for Philosopher's Stone. It is, along with Azkaban, probably the movie I've seen most times in my life. I can hum along to every cue. Yet somehow the score feels completely new! It's breathtaking stuff.
– Surprisingly I prefer the original version of the "Diagon Alley" cue. It's so wonderfully strange. Was completely taken aback by the new opening too.
– I absolutely adore the "Hogwarts Forever!" theme. It seems like many statements were removed from the film.
– "Cast a Christmas Spell" is a highlight for me. Ever since the set was announced I've been wondering if the synthesize (?) would be included or not. Where is that from? Was it recorded for the song? The music box reprisal is also great. This track is pure Harry Potter to me.
– "Filch's Fond Remembrance" is another lightlight. It really foreshadows Azkaban's medieval sound. The same is true for the last 35 seconds of "House Selection". Love the flute.
– "Fluffy's Harp Lullaby". Wow. The source music really blends well together with the score in PS.
– The Children's Suite! I'm gonna return to this suite many times. "Voldemort", "Family Portrait" and "Diagon Alley" are my favorites based on my first listen.
– "Hedwig's Theme for Harp" blew me away. Where did that come from? Williams should utilize harp more often.
– I still can't believe the "Teaser" recording is included. 😍 It's unreal.
– I really like "Hogwarts Forever (Vocal Version)". I can't get over how inspired Williams must have been writing this score and all the source music, theme suits and songs.
 
Somehow almost every cue feels like a highlight. I guess I have a tendency to prefer the smaller scaled stuff, don't know why ("Owl's Flight" is my favourite statement of the Nimbus 2000 theme). After listening to these first three discs I'm not only lamenting the fact that Williams didn't score film 4-8 - now I wish he had scored the books as well!
I haven't even opened the liner notes yet. I've just been listening with my eyes closed.
 
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was my very first film score album. My aunt noticed I kept humming the music from Harry Potter, and so she gave me the soundtrack for Christmas 2001. I was 7 years old and it changed my life and opened up my love for orchestral music. Listening to this expanded edition feels like a monumental moment in my life. A big thank you to @Jay, Mike Matessino, LaLaLand and everyone else involved in this amazing release.

Well, depends on what he's retiring from. A goodbye to his conducting career wouldn't surprise me at all, especially after whatever he was dealing with in October. I will be both awestruck and slightly exasperated if he's still conducting IX.
 
A retirement from film scoring would be sad but it takes a lot of physical and mental endurance, time, focus, tolerance for bullshit, etc and he must have good reasons if he's even gonna start saying no to Spielberg. I'm grateful for his work this decade and if he's up for one last big swing, that's more than I could ask for.
 
If he decides he's not going to be writing music of any sort to share with the likes of us, then I can only assume he has more important things on his mind that will need his full attention. A huge THANK YOU and all the best to him in that case.

I know where this comes from and it seems well-founded. However, since the source is not JW himself or his representatives, we should obviously treat it as a rumor.
 
Discuss! 

I know it's just a re-recording of the same music we've heard before but I can't get enough of the version of Hedwig's Theme that closes POA's end credits suite! The LSO is absolutely on fire. So much energy to it.

The alternate intro for Aunt Marge is delicious!!!

PoA, heard complete, reminds me a bit of the experience of The Force Awakens, emphasizing less the long setpieces, instead relying on smaller cues to chart the development of its excellent themes. I think that makes it feel like a stronger emotional experience for me than the two preceding scores, and makes its emotional highs really stand out.

I stand by my position that I've always had, being that Prisoner Of Azkaban is a top 5 Williams score. Maybe even pushing for Top 3. The end credits suite as written by JW is, in my opinion, the best suite he has ever done, because the themes involved are incredible. All of them. It's on par with Empire Strikes Back and Temple Of Doom, in that every theme and setpiece is flawless. 
Philosopher's Stone is a classic, but Azkaban is a masterpiece.
PS is brimming with excitement and splendor, but it's not really a unique voice for JW, and Hedwig's theme is overused. PoA, though, has many unique elements, while maintaining the same level of excellence. It is heavy and dark and dramatic in places, and yet, the score floats lightly and effortlessly, and is remarkably intoxicating in its sense for magic of the moment, grace even, and its longer musical arcs, that keep the attention, and rarely let the music drift into pure underscore. Out of all three Potter scores, PoA is the most like an actual separate, own, entity in the film.
And most refreshing for me is that the slightly stereotypical feel of magic in PS is developed into a less syrupy, and much more graceful and delicate kind of wonder rather than magic, which gives the film so much of its approachable and touching core. 
The use of woodwinds, especially the solos, are stunning. 

Mike built the LLL Azkaban album from 24bit, 96khz, 5.1 files given to him from WB, that were the film mix of every cue created in 2004.  If Shawn Murphy did something to those 3 cues in 2004 that cut off frequencies, that would carry over to this set too.  These tracks on the LLL album don't use a "lossy source", that is a mis-use of the phrase.  In the actual film itself, those 3 cues might have the same frequencies cut off, possibly (I haven't checked or anything).
 
I could ask Mike to dig out and check the original files WB gave him, but frankly I don't consider that to be a valuable use of his time.  There is nothing wrong with how any of these cues sound, and any fan who wishes to do so could replace them with the same passages taken from the OST album if desired.
 
People only know about this "problem" because they looked at the music, instead of listening to it.

So, I don't have anything original to say about the first score. It's my gateway John Williams score and just brilliant stuff. Orchestras could (should!) perform this without visual accompaniment and audiences would be enchanted throughout. Among the handful of Williams scores that could pull that off in their entirety. Or film scores in general. Or any musical work at this length. In a way, Williams pulls the same trick that JK Rowling did for kids who didn't think they liked reading. The orchestra is fun!
 
I also threw in The Leaky Cauldron and Hagrid's Flute just because I liked having them in there. I enjoyed the contrast of "Hagrid's" solo after The Stone, makes for a cool, stark intro before the last leg of the score. Foreshadows POA a bit too.
 
COS is peculiar. I actually really enjoy the reprisals early on, but once The Flying Car kicks in, it kinda feels like the official announcement of a new musical journey. As a marathon experience, the copy/pasting gets distracting after that. "Cornish Pixies" was when it started to feel like a drag for me and then getting into "Quidditch Second Year" or certain underscore cues that weigh almost exclusively on HP1 material (especially when there are a few in a row), it definitely gets a bit like:
 

 
 
Terrific but suffers in complete form since it's a nearly 3 hour movie that Williams couldn't devote his full attention to. Besides the handful of essential reprisals and new variations, there's a more focused 100 minute mystery/suspense score in here featuring some awesome bottom-heavy action writing and fantasy material that manages to be as wondrous and weird as the first. 
 
And I just love POA. It's a great third act. The underscore is spooky and contemplative, the action music aggressive, but still with the warmth, whimsy, eclecticism, and virtuosity to make it all a fitting finale to parts one and two. He finished his run with such heart and gravitas and the gift of this set is that it feels like a complete achievement.

So it is actually supposed to sound like this? :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10m7QlmV4cHsxm4eE6vPoC7SxsQaidiOV/view
 
That edit is... pretty questionable.

Found some pictures on Instagram:
 
 

Pretty sure the classic Williams celeste is just a DX7 sine wave with a slow attack blended with another celeste sample.  I'm told you can even buy the official imitation from Cinesamples.  I think KK told me that, he may even have it.  The rest of his staple synth sounds are probably also mostly done on a DX7 though I think I've also seen Kerber with a Nord.

It's a synth patch Randy Kerber is playing on his keyboard
 

Alrighty then
 

I started an analysis for shits and gigs, and to distract me from perpetual existential crisis. Here's the first half:
 
Star Wars: The Last Jedi OST Review / Musical Analysis
Introduction
Mixing / Mastering
What initially stands out for me is the mixing and mastering of the album, which hits you straight away upon listening to 01 Main Titles and Escape.
 
The entire album is heavily limited, mixed meticulously, and makes use of modern mastering techniques such as multi-band compression. There’s no doubt that this is the loudest original Star Wars album release to date. Aesthetically, the techniques used create an epic, large, punchy sound, with bass rolls and strikes that caused my ADAM A8X monitors to boom beautifully, and the trumpet highs of the fanfares and action pieces to almost pierce the ears, were they not being hugged by a warm, analogue-sounding bus compression. The percussion hits are particularly explosive when they occur! Sometimes the limiting gets a bit too close to brick-walling for my personal liking, with sections sounding as if they’re fighting for headroom.
Track-by-track analysis
01 Main Titles and Escape
The track of course starts with the iconic Star Wars / Luke’s Theme fanfare. The performance is very similar to the TFA performance, if not identical. What does sound different is how punchy it is. The main titles segue into a homage to the mysterious piccolo solo that featured in the same way in ESB. This is my favourite of the main title segues, so it was a pleasure to hear it played here with such articulacy.
 
The track quickly enters an urgent-sounding, militaristic section, with a pounding, rhythmic bass pedal, and fast fanfaric brass/winds, reminiscent of RoTS / BoTH material to my ears. The track is frenzied, with shifting textures constantly as the story develops.
 
Kylo Ren’s Theme makes its first appearance with a bang at 1:57, orchestrated identically to how we’ve heard it in TFA. I’ve noticed that Williams seems to give the ‘B section’ of Kylo Ren’s Theme a bit more room to breathe in this score – I’m referring here to the ominous rising bass phrase – it’s a bit more fleshed-out and developed throughout the score.
 
The cue continues in various (likely edited) directions, before a triumphant rendition of the Rebel Fanfare erupts at 2:40. Other theme appearances are a lively and triumphant Poe’s Theme at 3:01, March of The Resistance at 3:17, an allusion The TFA ‘Falcon’/Chase theme at 4:20, orchestrated wonderfully, Battle of the Heroes at 6:15, and others (I think there may be a new Luke on the Island Theme that occurs at around 4:03).
 
Overall, the orchestration is absolutely stellar. Reminiscent of the end-reel action cues for TPM. Rich, detailed, colourful, and innovative. Shout-out to the Superman-esque bass ostinato! Very exciting track. The feel is dominant, urgent, frenzied and triumphant, told in Williams’ usual story-telling drama style.
02 Ahch-To Island
This track begins with The Jedi Steps theme introduced in TFA. The cue alludes to a fragment of Battle of the Heroes in the bass at 0:57. This cue is incidental, with various swells and developments. The orchestration sometimes uses colours Williams’ seemed to have previously reserved only for Potter or more whimsical/magical films. The cue builds up to a full, wonderful rendition of Rey’s Theme at 2:42. Luke on the Island Theme re-occurs in what I believe to be a clearer rendition at 3:35. Parts of the cue are slightly coloured akin to the mid-reels of RoTS (e.g. Anakin’s Betrayal), in my opinion.
03 Revisiting Snoke
Ominous underscore. Williams has got them monks again doing their thang. Expect tremolo swells, and relatively subtle renditions of Kylo Ren’s Theme (both parts) as well as The Imperial March. Again, some innovative orchestration here. Epic & lively ending involving Kylo Ren’s Theme.
04 The Supremacy
Starts with sleuthing underscore that develops gradually. March of the Resistance appears 0:48, which gets developed with increasing urgency. The cue becomes more frenzied, as Williams’ famous action 2-4-3-5-1 (minor) ostinato gets used excitingly. Great string-work develops, which is really a development on the Kylo Ren chase music established in TFA, and reminiscent of other Williams action cues (e.g. The Moon Rising in A.I.). The craftsmanship in the string writing is striking (a bugger to play, though).
 
The cue takes a turn at 2:03, where we hear Princess Leia’s Theme played over ominous, dissonant harmonies. Shortly after, we hear another, more uncertain and intimate solo harp rendition of Princess Leia’s Theme before the orchestra continues to boldly develop the narrative, interspersed with references to the Force Theme.
 
The cue ends with a fragment of Rey’s Theme.
05 Fun with Finn and Rose
The track begins with the first appearance of a gentle rendition of a fragment of Rose’s Theme. It’s a simple melody, but quite memorable, with a Celtic, feminine aesthetic that I felt Rey’s Theme also had.
 
At 0:52 we get a light-hearted rendition of the B section of The March of the Resistance, which develops a bit and involves the A part too. Princess Leia’s Theme re-appears with clarity at 1:35.
 
Overall, mostly incidental underscore here. Shout out to the innovative, fresh ending – where did that come from, Johnny?
06 Old Friends
The cue begins with a subdued rendition of The Force Theme, which gets a full play-out before the tone develops into something more light-hearted and impressionistic, with Luke’s Theme peppered in. Princess Leia’s Theme again appears delightfully and magically at 1:12.
 
The second half of the cue is more sparse, with a fragment of Rey’s Theme, ominous sounding gestures leading to Kylo Ren’s Theme, and more whimsical Williams story telling. At 3:00 the new Luke on the Island Theme returns.
 
Again, there is some wonderful eerie orchestration and colours here. I think it’s great that Williams is still innovating.
07 The Rebellion is Reborn
The cue begins with a lovely and full rendition of Rose’s Theme – triumphant and broad, before developing into a fragment of Rey’s Theme. The Luke on the Island Theme returns, interspersed with Rose’s Theme.
 
The track has an exciting and optimistic feel. It ends with a fantastic, bold, optimistic outro using Rose’s Theme. I imagine pushes the narrative forward very well.
08 Lesson One
Starts light with fluttering strings and winds, before a gentle performance of Rey’s Theme. The cue develops in interesting directions, making use of The Force Theme.
 
The cue becomes very dramatic at around 1:28 with an ominous ostinato-like figure being played by the strings. The cue swells to a gigantic, cliffhanging end.
09 Canto Bight
Begins with a lovely fanfare with some interesting harmonic stuff going on.
 
Prepare yourself for the source music which references Aquarela do Brasil, but don’t let the steel drums put you off. This track actually turns into something very creative, funny and funky – reminiscent of Jazzy stuff from Tintin, CMIYC, and The Knight Bus.
 
I love the boogie-woogie bass synth - it's coloured so amusingly. Pretty hilarious.
 
10 Who Are You?
The track begins mysteriously, with a mention to Rey's Theme. The tone becomes more ominous. More underscoring involving sparse, eerie gestures. Great dissonant harmonies and colours are crafted by Williams. At 2:10 the energy suddenly increases, starting with a short rendition of the Rebel Fanfare and Luke's Theme. 
 
11 The Fathiers
This is a fun action piece. I immediately pick up on a 'swashbuckling' feel here at the beginning, reminiscent to some of the Tin-Tin material. The cue is full of exciting gestures, horn rips, swirling violins, off-beat xylophone hits, healthy doses of Boom-Tzzz and rapid-fire trumpets. At 1:02 a fragment of Rose's Theme briefly appears. At 1:28 Rose's Theme appears again, but this time it really lifts magically and gets a chance to soar.
 
The track has a great energy - exciting, optimistic, almost whimsical in parts in a Potter-esque style. Williams effortlessly develops the narrative with his usual key changes and rhythmic variations. There's a lot going on here.
 
12 The Cave
Low harp-pedal and ominous gestures begin this dissonant cue, immediately creating an uneasy feel. The dissonances and timbres are slightly reminiscent of the Dagobah material from ESB, in my opinion. The cue continues for a while oscilating between moments of rising, orchestrationally-innovative gestures and eerie silences.
 
At 1:35 a flute solo emerges, non-vibrato, quite haunting - still and questioning. The cue proceeds with a kind of romantic string elegy with fragments of Rey's Theme, before arriving at a subdued ending.
 
13 The Sacred Jedi Texts
Begins with a plain rendition of The Force Theme, before transporting to a mysterious, questioning, swirling statement. Yoda's Theme appears briefly at 0:31, before a loud transitional fanfare. The Force Theme makes a loud, dramatic and desperate appearance 1:00, which I found to be very powerful. 
 
We hear a lovely string elegy at 1:43. Another stock appearance of The Force Theme a bit later.
 
The cue ends with the concert arrangement of Yoda's Theme at 2:39.
 
 
... more to come

Wow. I haven't seen Winamp in awhile

Prisoner of fuckin Azkaban, man.

I can kind of see her point, being protective of the IP and not letting it be slapped on everything and devalued:
Harry Potter numbers
History with Hermione
Multiply with Minerva
File your taxes through the Owl Post
Learn about the Orchestra with Harry Potter!
Valuing more in-universe kind of merchandise over this is commendable, it's just a shame a fantastic bunch of JW music fell victim of it early on.
 
A fantastic interview by the way, very informative and the trailers are great!

Hearing how much work went into just the first score I cannot believe this is only $100.

Got me thinking what cues he composed that seem heavily inspired by an earlier one he wrote:;
 
The Knight Bus......Synfonietta for Wind :Molto alegro (concert piece)
The Throne Room.....Men of the Yorktown March (Midway)
The Planet Krypton (opening)...The City Sleeps (Earthquake)
The Departure (KotCS)....Soundings
Escape from the Mynoc Cave (ESB)...Strangle hold-Landing (Lost in Space)
Amazing Stories End Titles...E.T. End Titles
Cue where the students summon the boggarts in PoA...The Palace Feast in ToD
Quiddich (COS)....Chase on Coruscant(AotC)
Lucious Malfoy motif (CoS)...Separatist Motif (AotC)
Refugee Status (WotW)...Lament (RotS)...The Parish Church Aflame (Patriot) ... Immolation (Schindler's List)

I thought Christmas only comes once a year.

This is the one that needed expansion the most.
 
Karol

https://www.facebook.com/lalalandrecords/posts/10157139468748755
 
 
UPDATE: 
 
Samples and Direct Order:
 
https://lalalandrecords.com/world-is-not-enough-the-limited-edition-2-cd-set/
 
Additional Order Links:
 
https://www1.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/36547/
 
https://www.moviemusic.com/soundtrack/M11608/world-is-not-enough/
 
http://store.intrada.com/s.nl/it.A/id.11749/.f
 
https://www.musicbox-records.com/en/cd-soundtracks/6719-the-world-is-not-enough-expanded.html